The Easel

23rd May 2023

Gwen John Connecting With London And Paris

Sara Faith | The Artlyst | 15th May 2023

A retrospective is forcing revisions to the standard Johns biography. Pigeonholed as Rodin’s lover and sister to the flamboyant Augustus John, she was clearly much more. She chose art and a socially active life in Paris over motherhood’. There, she found recognition and patronage. Interiors, perhaps with a solitary female figure, were a favourite subject, showing her mastery of mood, balance and transient light. She is now considered a more significant artist than brother Augustus.

An introduction to 19th-century China

Jessica Harrison-Hall | The British Museum | 28th February 2023

China’s epic history, spanning millennia, arguably surpasses all others. A London show of the last century of dynastic rule tells the story of a ruling elite brought undone by internal weakness, disaffected subjects and predatory foreigners. What remains are exquisite objects, “staggering” images and quotidian household effects that describe the wide span of life under the Manchu dynasty. A review of the show is here; other background essays are here.

16th May 2023

Portraits of Dogs: London’s Wallace Collection explores canine character and charm

Amber Louise Bryce | Euronews | 29th March 2023

You are either a dog person, or you aren’t. The above writer extols a London show of dog portraits, claiming “there’s a human story behind every painted pooch”. In particular,  dogs have long appeared in portraits to impute admirable qualities to their masters. Another critic, not a dog lover, is having none of this, arguing that the show is a “sickly cocktail”. The 19th century animal artist Landseer is “awful, [his paintings] trite, nauseous …bring your aesthetic pooper-scooper”.

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